Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Activated Charcoal

136 FDA reports name Activated Charcoal, a high-volume drug in the CVM extract. Species, reactions, and outcomes follow.

#657 of 2,679
by report volume (all drugs)
136
adverse-event reports
12.5%
death-coded share
Dog
most-reported species

Corpus placement

According to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA adverse-event extract, Activated Charcoal ranks #657 of 2679 by total reports (136) and #441 of 1130 by death-coded share (12.5%). National dual: Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad is #1 of 2679 drugs by total adverse-event reports (149,624) at death-coded-share rank 965 of 1130 drugs with at least 50 reports (2.3%); separately, Atlantic Salmon Transgenic Whole (Opafp-Ghc2 Rdna Construct Inserted Into The A-Locus In The Eo-1A Lineage) is #1 highest death-coded share at 97.8% (report rank #821).

149,624
Milbemycin Oxime + Spinosad reports (#1)
97.8%
Atlantic Salmon Transgenic Whole (Opafp-Ghc2 Rdna Construct Inserted Into The A-Locus In The Eo-1A Lineage) death share (#1)
#657
This drug, reports of 2679
#441
This drug, death share of 1130

Report volume reflects how common a breed or drug is and how often owners and vets file — not actual risk. Death-coded share ranks are limited to entries with enough reports to be meaningful. The two maps do not agree at #1.

Release-over-release change

What changed in the latest FDA data snapshot

PlainBreed reconstructed the prior snapshot from dated openFDA partitions through 2025 Q4, then compared it with the 2026-07-27 openFDA export. Activated Charcoal has 136 reports now versus 133 in that prior snapshot: 3 more (2.3%).

Report change
+3
Death-coded reports
+0
Death-coded share
−0.3 pts

This compares reported-event counts in two source snapshots. It does not establish a change in real-world risk, product safety, or disease incidence.

Subscribe to Activated Charcoal changes

Signature read: death-coded report count at 17 is the most distinctive stamp on Activated Charcoal's FDA AER row.

Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
136
Total Reports
17
Deaths Reported
12.5%
Death-coded share of reports

Active Ingredients

Activated Charcoal

Administration Routes

OralUnknownOther

Species Affected

Dog 103
Cat 32
Horse 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 26
Retriever - Labrador 14
Retriever - Golden 9
Crossbred Canine/dog 5
Beagle 5
Pit Bull 4
Chihuahua 4
Spaniel - King Charles Cavalier 4
Dog (unknown) 3
Mixed (Dog) 3

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 39
Accidental exposure 33
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 22
Diarrhoea 22
Ataxia 20
Elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) 19
Overdose 19
Seizure NOS 18
Elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) 17
Elevated creatinine 16
Tremor 15
Anorexia 14

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
66 (47.8%)
Recovered/Normal
34 (24.6%)
Outcome Unknown
20 (14.5%)
Died
10 (7.2%)
Euthanized
7 (5.1%)
Recovered with Sequela
1 (0.7%)

Activated Charcoal: high report volume in the FDA AER row

Read these counts as reporting volume, not risk: per our methodology, a widely-prescribed drug will rack up more raw FDA reports in a given year than a rarely-used one at an identical true rate, so we recommend comparing within similar-exposure products rather than across the full 2025 catalog.

High-volume nationwide drug peers

Two openFDA-derived peer sets for Activated Charcoal, both floored at ≥50 reports so the neighborhoods stay in the advertised mass.

Similar report volume

Nearest other drugs by FDA report count (136 here).

What to do with this drug

A report does not prove a drug caused the reaction; consult a veterinarian before acting on this data.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (CVM AER) · 2025

openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (FDA CVM) for Activated Charcoal (#657 of 2,679 by report volume); death-coded 12.5%. PlainBreed drug row · death-coded report count stamp 17 · vintage 2025.

Informational only. FDA adverse-event reports are voluntary and do not prove causation; consult a veterinarian before acting on them. Verify with FDA CVM →